Three Dedicated Courtyards Shaping The North Bay Residence

This waterfront masterpiece is better admired from the water – an inviting pure white modern residence guarded by tall palm trees. The North Bay Residence in Miami, Florida, is defined by three courtyards shaping the owner’s lifestyle and architectural details. All the 12,309 square feet are brightly lit by carefully placed windows, creating a dynamic interior design subject to weather changes. Miami-based Touzet Studio created an essential bond between the partly wooded, water-adjacent property and the interior spaces. The structure’s east-west orientation created a long and narrow collection of indoor/outdoor spaces, arranged in an open floor plan inspired by the shape of a bar. Hidden behind mature live oaks, the front facade protects the property from indiscreet eyes while seasoning the landscape with the imposing trees. The rest of the outside space is clean and carefully designed to offer many choices of spending free time. The three courtyards – the Tree Court, the Rain Court and the Water court – each display their own strong character.

Here is how the architects describe these defining elements: “The Tree Court is bound by the Florida keystone-clad wall of the Guest Quarters volume and the ficus repens covered volume of the garage. The court is sheltered by the natural canopy of the oak trees. The first perpendicular element, a glass-clad bridge that contains the children’s bedrooms, extends from the main bar and rests on the Guest Quarters volume. It shields the entry to the house and frames the entry to the second court. This court, the Rain Court is bound on three sides by the circulation spine of the main bar, the Guest Quarters volume, and the two-story living room and opens onto a dense garden wall. The third court, the Water court faces the Bay, and contains the pool and spa and was designed to create an exterior environment that encouraged full access and enjoyment of the Bay and its long vistas and sunsets. The second canopy to shield a court is the concrete “parasol” that extends above the living room volume.”